Governor Kathy Hochul has announced that New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is seeking proposals from manufacturers for the procurement of 2,390 new subway cars, the largest single order in the authority’s history.

The base order of 1,140 cars will replace the R62 and R62A fleets operating on the 1, 3, and 6 lines. An additional 1,250 cars may be ordered to replace the R142 and R142A fleets on the 2, 4, and 5 lines, if the MTA exercises the option.

The new R262 cars will be funded by the MTA’s 2025–2029 Capital Plan, which received 68 billion USD in state funding through the FY26 Enacted State Budget. The plan also incorporates funds from the 2020–2024 Capital Plan, partially supported by congestion pricing revenues.

The new vehicles are intended to improve reliability. As such, the R262 cars are required to meet a mean distance between failure (MDBF) of 200,000 miles, compared with the current average of 89,000 miles for the R62 and R62A fleets.

Thousands of new subway cars running better service and a more reliable ride for millions every day — that’s what we can achieve when we fully invest in transit. We are in the midst of a public transit renaissance in New York, with growing ridership, the best service in a generation and historic investments to modernise the lifeblood of our city. By bringing even more open gangway cars to the subway, we can make real improvements to riders’ safety and overall experience.

The request for proposals (RFP) includes technical specifications covering passenger announcements, assistive listening devices, automatic passenger counting, electric braking control, onboard and platform cameras, and electronic cab locks. The inclusion of open gangway cars on the A-Division lines will be considered.

Proposals are due by 8 September 2026, with a contract expected to be awarded by early 2028.

The procurement follows the creation of the MTA’s Rolling Stock Program, which is tasked with overseeing acquisitions and lifetime costs for buses, subway cars, and commuter rail trains. The programme manages the 12 billion USD allocation in the 2025–2029 Capital Plan for fleet replacement.